The Rise of the People's Queen
by UKPJOFan
Summary: Annabeth Chase wasn't your typical teenage girl. She was sixteen years old, tall for her age and one of the best horse riders in the Kingdom. She was also heir to the throne of Anglia. But her succession to the throne proves not to be as easy as it should have been. Will the Peoples Queen ever gain the throne as has always been foretold.
1. Chapter 1

Annabeth Chase wasn't your typical teenage girl. She was sixteen years old, tall for her age and one of the best horse riders in the Kingdom, better even than some of her father's soldiers. She was also heir to the throne of Anglia, which is a title we better not forget. It might also be added that she was hotheaded, stubborn, had too much pride and carried the fight that many would say was missing from her father. She was very rarely compared to her mother, who had disappeared eleven years ago and was widely presumed dead, those who remembered her however said that Annabeth's wit and intellect could have come from no other.

Luke Castellan, captain of the royal guard currently did not care about any of that. The two of them had been on a hunting mission in Anglia's extensive woodland since just after their midday meal and now, as the sun continued to retreat over the horizon he was tired, cold and hungry and he wanted nothing more than to get home and relax in front of the fire. Annabeth however showed no signs of wanting to leave. They were following a disturbed trail that she was convinced had been made by either bandits or werewolves and he was afraid that she might actually be right. He had been riding with his shield on his arm and his sword out for the past half hour.

Bandits were fairly common in Anglia, but never this close to the capital, but then again the regular army patrols through the forest roads had become less regular recently, what with the rising levels of crime within the city. Anglia had been going through one of the longest peaceful spells in its history, and with no war to force King Frederick into action, or to occupy its citizens the whole country had fallen into a lull, allowing certain criminal lords to stir into action. The focus on preventing this spread in the big cities had resulted in the country being almost left to it's own devices.

"Listen!" Annabeth said urgently, causing him to start, and forcing him to focus back on the situation at hand. "I can hear talking - just ahead!"

Taking her word for it he urged his horse forward, putting himself between the princess and the possible danger. "Stay behind me!" he said, ignoring the formality that he usually had to use in her presence, it was awkward enough in a non-life threatening situations given the two had been friends ever since he was assigned to the royal guard nearly four years ago, proprietary could be dammed now.

Before either of them could say another word though the conversation quieted. They had barely began to move forward when the undergrowth that lined the path burst open and 4 figures leapt out. They were all male, of a stocky if slightly short build and completely covered in dirt, that was not what caught the princesses attention though. In each hand they carried a long curved knife, the metal shining slightly in the faint moonlight that was able to reach them through the forest canopy. For a moment the bandits stared at the two, hatred in their eyes, clinically assessing their most valuable belongings, then they charged.

Obviously judging Luke to be the greater threat, three of the men went for him with the other easily ducking under his sword and heading straight for Annabeth, her horse was fully battle trained however and it leapt forward to meet the attack, lashing out with it's legs. Taken by surprise the bandit only just managed to avoid the steel clad hooves but the horse's movement still knocked him backwards several steps. By the time he had recovered and began advancing once more Annabeth had drawn her sword and in one fluid movement, one that she had been taught by Luke himself in the castle training grounds, she wheeled her horse around, leaned forward and hacked towards the man on the ground, cutting him in the arm. The bandit withdrew to the undergrowth once more holding his injured am, where the horse couldn't follow. She briefly tore her glance away from him, looking to see how Luke was doing. This momentary lapse in concentration was almost fatal as without warning the bandit through himself from the bush at Annabeth's horse, knocking her from its back. The stallion charged away, spooked and she lay on the forest floor, winded and somewhat dazed.

She was aware that there was definitely some sort of danger but she couldn't recall exactly what it was. She watched as three men attacked a soldier on a horse but as the soldier was disarmed his horse reared and galloped away, the soldier clinging on desperately as the three other men chased after him. The fourth man, the only one left on the path turned and began to slowly walk back towards her.

The truth of her situation suddenly hit her, she remembered where she was, who she was and who that man was. The bandit was approaching with slow deliberate steps as if enjoying the moment before his kill. Her sword lay close by, just beyond easy reach, she leapt for it but the bandit was just a moment ahead of her. The weight of his body hit her and her boots slipped on the wet leaves. She crashed to the ground the weight of the bandit falling on top of her. The bandit put it's long knife to her throat and she stilled.

Her fighting spirit still roared under the surface but she was smart enough to see a lost battle when she saw one. She leaned forward and spat in the bandit's face, he leaned back, a look of disgust overcoming his expression.

"Make sure you leave all the wounds in the front!" she spat up at him, trying to conceal the waver in her voice. "I want all of Anglia to know that their princess did not die running away!"

The look of disgust on his face changed to confusion before terror began to take it over. His eyes glanced down to the royal coat of arms on her armor and he backed away quickly kicking her sword into the undergrowth. He looked her in the eyes and she saw the fear burning within them, fear of something that seemed more than just the royal families wrath. He turned and fled through the tree's his silhouette blending into the darkness.

Annabeth climbed to her feet and picked up her sword, her limbs were trembling, both with shock and exhaustion. She was fascinated, and if anything slightly worried. She knew about these bandits, she'd heard all the stories about them, they operated outside the law, her being princess shouldn't have sparked that fear in him that it did. There was another power in play.

A crashing noise in the trees interrupted her thoughts, and she raised her sword ready for renewed combat, but it was only Luke. He had finally regained control of the horse and looking at how tired it looked had come charging back ready to die in her defence. Annabeth had to endure over 15 minutes of him checking her for injuries, before sitting through a long explanation about how he had no chance of controlling his horse when it bolted and how he came back as soon as possible. She was eventually allowed to mount his horse and they started the journey home, a journey that would take even longer with her riding pillion. Silently she thought through all that had happened.

What was so scary that it even terrified a bandit? Her mind continued to puzzle over the worrying possibility of a foreign power controlling the bandits as she continued her journey home.

After a few minutes her own horse reappeared, whinnying happily to see them. Annabeth grumpily remounted him, utterly blaming it for putting her in the situation in the first place. They took the most direct route back towards the city and eventually the dense trees became more sparse as they began to come across the woodcutters cottages that populated the forests eaves. The trees then gave way entirely and revealed the plain that surrounded Whitehampton, the capital of Anglia.

It rose above the fields of wheat as if it were a ship, the bright torches on its stone walls seemed to beckon Annabeth back home. She spurred her horse on, already recovering from the shock of battle and desperate to tell her father about the evening's events. They raced across the plain, dust being thrown up from the summer dried roads, and they were soon riding under the city gates. It had been market day and although the streets were far emptier than they would have been in high afternoon, they were still full of the traders who were beginning to pack away their goods.

"It's the Princess!" The whisper ran ahead of her through the crowd of country traders. Annabeth wished she had something to cover her face, for a princess she was awful with attention and the fact that so many of the people around her were staring was causing her face to become an unnatural red colour. At last she reached the gates of the Citadel and upon seeing her the palace guards snapped to attention and opened the gates allowing her access to the castle. As soon as she had crossed the courtyard she dismounted and began up the stairs to the great hall, the green eyed stable boy already picking up her horse's reins from where she had left them on the ground. She never knew why she always noticed that particular stable boy's eyes, when none of the others held her attention at all. She shook her head and focused her thoughts back to the task in hand. She stepped forward and strode into her father's hall.

The room was grand, rows of tables filled the space, ready for when the King held his banquets, the flags and banners of long past wars could be seen in the shadows of the hall's roof, smoke stained from the fires that burned within the hall on every event day. At the end of the hall stood a raised dais on which the high table stood, in the centre of this table stood the grand wooden throne, the symbol of the political centre of Anglia on which her father sat when officiating state events. It sat empty now however and she walked briskly around the back of the dais to the small door hidden in the wall behind it. Knowing that Luke was right behind her she burst through the door without knocking.

The slamming of the door caused King Frederick Chase to start awake from where he had been dozing in his armchair. The room was a small cosy place, with barely enough space for all three of them to fit. The walls were covered in book cases, and the armchair in which Frederick sat was placed behind a small table on which sat a book that had obviously been abandoned when he fell asleep.

"Ahh, Annabeth! What brings you to see me this evening." Frederick sat up straighter running this hand through his graying blonde hair, evidently trying, but failing to make himself look more presentable. He pushed his glasses further up his nose and smiled at her. His eyes flicked toward Luke, who was standing just behind her in the doorway and concern flashed across his face.

Annabeth crossed her arms huffing as she narrowed her eyes at her father. "What makes you think I wanted anything, I might have only came to see you because I wanted too?"

Frederick let out a laugh "Annabeth you only ever come to see me when you have something urgent to tell me... or if you want something." She opened her mouth to protest but he continued. "And if this was one of the rare occasions where you just wanted to say hello, you wouldn't have brought Luke with you." He nodded at him as Annabeth's face flushed pink.

"So!" Frederick exclaimed, "What is it, did you manage to hunt an exciting animal in the forest today?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, ignoring his obviously forced enthusiasm for the hunt, he had made it perfectly clear before that he was far more interested in the internal political matters, rather than the patrols and hunts she took part in herself.

"No, I have something very important to tell you father." She said, hoping that she could actually gain his full attention.

"Oh it must be serious" he said jovially to Luke, "She only ever calls me father if it's a matter of life or death, or if she's done something wrong."

"We ran into some bandits in the woods!" Annabeth shouted over him frustrated, taking at least some satisfaction at the look of shock and horror on his face, a look that only becomes more obvious as she recounts the story.

"So there is obviously something going on out there so I think I-" Frederick interrupted her by pulling her forward into a hug as he truly realised how close he was too losing her. He pulled back scanning her for any obvious injuries.

"Have you been seen by the physician yet?" he muttered frantically, stuck somewhere in between hugging her sympathetically and patting her down, as if any injury would just jump out at him.

"No Dad I haven't, I came straight here to see you because I need your permission to lead a force after them."

"No! Absolutely not, you are not going back outside these city walls for a long time young lady."

"But I'm the only one who knows where the bandits were!"

"Apart from Luke!" Frederick announced triumphantly. Annabeth deflated, already sensing that this argument had been lost.

"But even then I -"

"No buts, Luke is a trained guard, has more experience than you, and is not the heir to the kingdom, I am not sending you out on something that could be a wild goose chase and risking the chance that you could be killed."

"How will I ever get that experience if you never let me do anything though." She was whining now and she knew it but it was so frustrating. She was never allowed to attempt to be a leader to her people as they never got to see her. What good was a Princess of Anglia who had no fighting experience, and therefore didn't have the respect.

"Annabeth, you will be able to gain the experience when I am sure you are skilled enough to stay safe." He turned away from her to look at Luke and she knew the matter was closed. She slumped backwards as he continued to talk. "I want you to lead your guard out and attempt to round up these bandits, bring back some prisoners, I want to find out if there actually is someone organising, and if there is I want to know why."

"Yes sir". Luke spun around and walked out the room, as Annabeth followed him she heard her father's voice, so quiet she was sure she wasn't meant to hear it.

"She's too much like her mother, I can't lose her too."

Annabeth winced and closed the door behind her, and looked up to see Luke waiting for her in the great hall.

"You know he doesn't mean anything by it Annabeth, he knows you're a good fighter, but it's his responsibility to keep you safe, he's got to protect his heir."

She nodded slightly and gave him a thin lipped smile. "Anyway I've got to gather this patrol, I hope I'll be back for the banquet."

"Stay safe." She murmured to him before stepping forward and folding her arms around him.

"Save me a dance and I will." He whispered into her hair. She gave him a real smile this time as she stepped back.

"Of course I will." Luke gave her a mock salute before turning and walking back out of the hall. As the door shut on him the smile drifted off her face. What good was a princess who couldn't even lead her own guard.


	2. Chapter 2

Percy awoke at sunrise.

That in itself wasn't a shock, he lived in a basement, underneath a shack right next to the market square. What with the light shining through the gaps in the floorboards above him, the sounds of the birds that have nested in the eaves of the roof far above, or the racket that the market traders made when setting up their stalls it was physically impossible to sleep any longer. What was unusual was the lack of guttural snores coming from the only watertight, and to be honest, the only real habitable part of their house.

He groaned, the only time in the day he usually had to relax was when his stepfather was asleep. The fact that he was up this early did not bode well for anyone. He pulled himself up, gathering up the rags that made up his bed from the floor and shoved them into the corner. He scrambled up the ladder that led up to the room that constituted a kitchen in this place. Sat on the floor, next to the trapdoor sat a pile of clothes and a plate of food. Percy smiled. His Mum had so much to think about herself but she always made sure that he was eating. He glanced at the door that led to the far more opulently furnished rooms where his stepfather lived before grabbing his things and jumping back down. He would rather eat down in the darkness then run the risk of facing Gabe.

When he re-emerged about ten minutes later the door was open and his stepfather was no-where to be seen. Percy breathed a sigh of relief, if he didn't have to see him this morning he could probably avoid him for the entire day knowing how late he tended to get home. He grabbed his jacket from the peg beside the door and stepped outside.

The market traders stalls were already set up and he nodded at several of the traders that consistently set up shop near him. They were some of the only people that were willing to make eye contact with him, most people in the lower city determinedly avoided him because of who is was. Who and _what_ he was.

He inwardly cursed the stupid prejudices that the old Queen Hera had introduced to the Kingdom. There was no such thing as the perfect family she had spent so much of her reign promoting. Despite this she had effectively made it seem that every bastard child born since she ascended to the throne was seen as substandard. It was that attitude that had driven his Mum to agree to Gabe's proposal of marriage in the first place, she would not get many offers given her situation and she thought that by marrying she would be able to at least get Percy a better future.

She was wrong. The reputation that Gabe had brought the family, considering he was the head of one of the most influential crime rings in the city made everything even worse. The two had been reduced to living as almost slaves within their own house. The law abiding people of Whitehampton wanted absolutely nothing to do with Gabe or anyone who associated with him.

It all made finding work in the city almost impossible. Gabe had demanded that he find work on only his twelfth birthday, declaring that he was now old enough to be able to pay his own way. Percy had spent almost 6 months hunting for a job that wouldn't discriminate against him for either his lack of a father, or for whom his stepfather was, while his Mum was able to get a job at the Tavern, about the only job in the city who didn't care who you associated with, they would never hire a twelve year old.

He'd finally caught a lucky break when he went to the castle, the Stable Master, who was bastard himself had seen him and decided to give him a break. It was tough work but Percy was happy to do it, he had always enjoyed being around horses and had often helped take care of them when they had been left at the tavern. The money that he had earned appeased Gabe enough to keep him off the streets and allowed him to begin to develop hope that one day he might be able to get both him and his mum away from the hell that currently made up their lives.

He shook his head, he didn't have the time to think about that now. He broke into a jog as the castle came into sight. The houses and shops along the main street gradually became more affluent as he reached the merchant quarter which immediately surrounded the castle. Most of these houses were very rarely inhabited, their owners spent most of their time travelling or at their other properties that were not inside the busy city. Today was different though, even this so often dead area of Whitehampton was alive with activity. Of course it was. Today was the day of the annual Chase royal ball.

To be honest Percy didn't really care about the banquet. The whole thing was political to allow the royal family to keep an eye on any of the Lords or Barons that were getting a bit too ambitious, but for Percy all it meant was a significant amount of extra work. Having to look after the extensive amount of horses of the royal cavalry took up nearly all of his time anyway, never mind the extra ones brought by the barons, their favoured merchants, their servants and even the pack mules that they demanded be also put under royal care. He'd never understood how the elite could afford to bring all of these extra people but never seemed to bring their own stable hands and just decided that those at the palace would be able to deal with it. Because they couldn't. There was only two of them who worked in the stables, it was by no sense of the word easy to handle the sheer amount of work normally, during banquets it was almost impossible.

He smiled at Chiron as he walked into the stables and wasn't shocked when he received only a stressed grimace in return. No one in the service staff enjoyed royal events. Percy sighed before grabbing venturing into the back room, he still had some saddle repairs to finish from yesterday.

 **.** **.** **.**

Percy didn't often get extremely focused often, but when he did he often lost track of everything else going on around him. Even then he was still confused just how Jason managed to get quite so close without him noticing.

"What is the matter with you!" Percy whirled around to see the blonde smirking at him.

"I did call you're name three times Percy, it's not my fault you are so deaf."

"I'm not deaf." Percy groaned, "What are you even doing here anyway. Shouldn't you be excessively busy guarding the Royal family now that we have all these extra guests here."

"No." Jason smirked at the affronted look appeared on his face. "Castellan is out on some mission and the Princess has been confined to the castle by the King so I have very literally nothing to do."

"Can you go do 'nothing to do' somewhere else then and stop bugging me then."

"No I can't, I'm bored and you are entertaining me."

He whirled around to respond when Chiron's exasperated voice drifted through the door. "Just go with him Percy! It's almost lunch anyway and I'll get more done without the two of you distracting me here."

Percy shot Jason the stink eye before grabbing his jacket and stalking out. Jason just laughed as he jogged to catch up with him.

"Come on Percy, I got you out of work for at least half an hour. What's the matter?"

Sighing Percy slowed and turned to look at him. "It's the busiest time of the year for us Jason and I owe Chiron so much, I don't want to think that I'm not putting my all into this."

"Percy you have thrown everything into that job since you got it, there is no way anyone would say you take it for granted."

Percy looked back at him before subtly nodding his head. "Anyway why did you come and bug me, you normally do all you can to try and get Piper to notice that you've finally realised that she's a girl."

Jason's cheeks developed a pink hue as he responded. "Like I said, the Princess has been told to stay in the castle, I think Piper is trying to stop her going stir crazy." Jason's smile turned devious, "You'll probably get a visit from her later, she's bound to come round and groom Minerva when she finally gets bored inside. Do you think you'll be too busy to make a fool out of yourself around her again?"

Percy spluttered, looking up at him with wide eyes. "What do you mean?" He gasped when he finally had regained his breath, "I don't make a fool of myself around her, do I?"

"Let me think…" Jason smirked, "the last time she came into the stables with you there she dropped that horseshoe on your foot, the time before that you walked into the pole trying to grab Minerva's reigns before anyone else so you could give them to her, and even yesterday you managed to trip over your own feet when you were leading the horse back to the stables. On top of that you -"

"Yes I get the picture!" Percy interrupted burying his face in his hands.

Jason's grin grew even further "It's almost like you have a _thing_ for our Princess Percy." When he didn't respond Jason let out a laugh. "Oh wow! You actually do, I can't believe this Piper said you might but I didn't think you would because you never seem to look at girls. Wow I -"

"Jason it really doesn't matter." Jason was shocked by the harshness in Percy's voice. "I like the princess, I think she will be a brilliant Queen one day and might be the one to actually make the poor people's lives better but I don't have a crush on her because it would be pointless too. We probably are never going to have a single conversation with each other so why should I like her like that. Nothing would ever be able to happen even if I did."

Percy trailed off, a wistful look appearing on his face, before a gleam appeared in his eye. "So why exactly were you talking to Piper in the first place, if one of us has a painfully obvious crush on someone it is you!"

Jason pushed him away, desperately trying to conceal his burning cheeks as Percy smirked. Jason was far too easy to distract.

 **. . .**

Percy was brushing down Tempest, Jason's horse, in the stalls when he heard the back door to the stables open. Assuming that Jason had decided that two hours was far too long to actually leave him in peace, he started talking before he came round the corner.

"Do you actually have a job or do you just pretend so that your dad doesn't get on your back?" Percy smirked turning round to look at him.

He froze, Jason wasn't the person looking back at him.

The Princess was. She stood looking back at him, amusement evident in her grey eyes. Her hair, usually styled elaborately hung over her shoulders in natural curls. Percy blushed. She looked even more beautiful than normal. When she raised an eyebrow at him he realised he had been just standing there staring at her. At the Princess. _Oh Gods. He'd told the princess that she didn't have a job._

"I'm so sorry Your Highness, I thought you were someone else- I'd never, you um, of course you…" Fired, he was so getting fired, and Gabe would kick him out and he'd become one of those beggars that hung around the market street corners. If he was lucky. He was so fired-

"It's fine," she shrugged, "It has been far too long since I was able to talk normally with anyone who wasn't my family anyway. Don't call me Your Highness anyway, I'm not queen yet and I have a name you might as well use it."

Percy stuttered, mouth hanging open. "Ok ma'am, I mean An - Annabeth."

She smiled at him and Percy immediately decided it was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen.

"Anyway I'm going to go.." She gestured towards the stall in which Minerva was kept and Percy jumped.

"Yes. Of course. I. Go ahead Your High- Annabeth. Ma'am"

Annabeth rolled her eyes and walked back into the stalls. Percy groaned, resting his head against Tempest's flank.

"At least Jason wasn't here to see that." He muttered.

A snort caused him to jerk his head back up. Standing in the door stood the guard himself, smirk blazing on his face.

"Did you see all of that?"

Jason's laugh was answer enough.


	3. Chapter 3

All the Barons, Baronesses and key merchants could expect to be called to Whitehampton to dine with the royal family at least three times a year. The royal banquets that resulted were often the biggest events on the Anglia social calendar. The process of eating and drinking was actually less important than the business of keeping an eye on the more ambitious elements of the aristocracy, making sure they weren't getting any ideas above their station. This cautious approach to the nobility wasn't entirely unfounded, unlike past rulers Frederick didn't have the aggressive powers to the north east in Gaven, or to the south in Crilad, inspiring the nobility to unite behind him. In fact, tonight's feast officially was a celebration of victory against the last great threat that the country had faced.

20 years ago to the day Frederick's father, the old King had led his army to the fields outside the seaside town of Waterpoint where a battle had been fought against a combined force of the Havennesse Rogues and the Linston Pirates. Their fleet had consisted of over two hundred ships and they had landed an army of over 15,000 troops, but after a bloody struggle the enemy had finally been driven back into the sea by the victorious Anglia army.

And now the Great Hall was loud with celebration as those ex-soldiers ate and drank with their families at the lower tables as they told each other how brilliant they had been on the fields of Waterpoint. The gallery that occupied the southern wall of the hall was packed with the nation's best musicians who played an unending medley of drinking songs and marching tunes.

As Annabeth watched from her place at the High Table she attempted to enjoy the air of celebration swirling up from the lower hall. But her view of the details was limited thanks to the haze of smoke that floated from the central hearth obscuring her vision. Even the huge banners of the army regiments that were hung from each of the roof beams could only be seen faintly through the smoke as it rose to escape out of the small vents in the ceiling. The sounds of talking, chanting and laughter all blended into a distant buzz, and not for the first time Annabeth wished she could be down in the hall with them, actually able to enjoy the sense of celebration, rather than being forced to act as only a spectator looking down it.

She eventually turned her attention back to the high table as her father chatted good-naturedly with one of his barons. She was always sat with the King at State Banquets. It was good for the lords and ladies of Anglia to get to see their future monarch, and because she knew how important it was to make a good impression on them, she tried to rise to the occasion.

She made every effort to crush her increasing insecurities about her ability to fulfill the role beneath an exterior that was both charming yet frightfully intelligent. She tried to exude the pride and arrogance that a monarch should. Her ideas were good. She knew that even if she was never allowed to implement them. She just had to show everyone else how able she was. To be honest she wasn't all that sure that she succeeded.

Baroness Hestia, an ageing yet kind women who had been in charge of City of Grassport down in the southern plains of the country for longer than Frederick himself had ruled, smiled and leant down towards her. "I hear the Princess had an encounter with some bandits this morning." She smiled kindly, giving Annabeth a chance to join in the conversation.

"Yes, only yesterday evening, my guard and I managed to fight them off, but when they realised who I was they ran off."

The Baroness turned to the King. "I think we need more domestic patrols Frederick, these outcasts are getting too bold."

The King nodded but then shrugged, "Yes I suppose but they are still not that serious a problem, I will not weaken our defences on the Gaven border so we can focus on internal matters, they are by no means the most serious threat we face."

He absentmindedly adjusted his glasses as he considered the situation. "I'll send out the city garrisons on patrols of the local countrysides, that should ensure there is enough presence to discourage crime."

"But father," Annabeth interrupted "Surely splitting the same garrison between such a wide area would mean that it is not effective in either role. Gaven hasn't displayed any threatening behaviour since it became independent from Galling over 30 years ago, if the troops could come from anywhere surely there is the best place."

"Annabeth if we reduce the watch on that border it is almost as if we invite them to invade, we give them the perfect opportunity if we stop watching."

"Not if we ask them to become allies though." Annabeth said thoughtfully, "Gaven is our closest neighbour we don't have any longstanding problems with, and if we didn't have to watch that border we would have more than enough troops to actually be able to fight the criminals."

"It's a good idea Annabeth but I'm sure they would not be willing to listen." Frederick turned back towards the Barons and Annabeth sighed. Her father had just brushed off her ideas yet again. She had been effectively dismissed.

"If you would excuse me?" She said standing up. At her father's distracted nod she lept off the royal dais and began to weave her way through the lower hall. She skirted around the area that had been cleared for dancing, the last thing she wanted was to be dragged for a dance by a merchant three time her age and headed towards the hollering that indicated some sort of soldier competition. At the sight of the throwing axes she smiled. The blast of cheering as an axe cut straight through the apple that had been rested on the target made her wince, but she waded through the press of huge sweating men and women and demanded a go.

She may have had issues with her confidence amongst the ruling elite, however when she was down amongst the fighting people her natural passion and fight allowed her to easily interact with the warriors of the country. Here she didn't have to worry about etiquette or mind her language, in fact the soldiers themselves often spent the first few minutes apologizing for their own 'lack' of manners but once everyone got into the swing of things she was treated like anyone else, although her status was still carefully acknowledged.

As she stepped forward a great shout went up, "The Princess is going to throw!"

One of the soldiers stepped forward respectively putting one of the smaller axes in her hand. The axe was in no sense of the word her weapon, but she would in no sense be seen as weak by throwing that.

"Come on! Give me a proper one!" She demanded, and nodded as a full size battle-axe was passed forward to her.

By this time the apple had been replaced on the target and with a huge effort she lifted the axe, took aim and threw it with such force that she almost fell forward. When she dared to actually look at the target she saw the apple, split almost exactly in half at the bottom of the thick throwing board. She laughed in relief and allowed herself to be hoisted onto the soldier's shoulders.

From high above everyone else's heads she could see far more clearly through the smoke, allowing her a perfect view of the huge doors on the far wall as they burst open causing a blast of cold air to billow through the hall. It fell silent and Annabeth took a deep breath. The smoke had been almost completely been blown away meaning she had an almost completely clear view of the soldiers marching through the doorway, two figures hunched over between them.

The troopers were wearing the uniform of the royal guard and Annabeth could see Luke's blonde hair from her high position. Their business was obviously important so some of the ex-soldiers dragged the tables out of the way, opening up a wide aisle leading directly to the royal dais which the guard quickly began to march up.

"Put me back down." Annabeth ordered the soldiers still carrying her. The moment her feet touched the floor she cut through the crowd, reaching the royal table at almost the same time the guard did. It was then she saw exactly who they had been dragging between them. It was two of the bandits, including the one who had attacked her. Their wrists were tied with thick rope and it was surrounded by a ring of spears, ready to strike incase they decided to make a suicidal attack on the the King.

Luke stepped forward and saluted the King. "My Lord, we bring the bandits that attacked the Princess to you for sentence."

After a brief few seconds of silence as Frederick maneuvered himself to stand his reply was cut and brief. "You should've just taken them straight to the jail, it's a waste of time and effort bringing them here." He straightened his glasses on his head before looking back down to Luke. "It's not like the sentence he is going to get is a shock."

Annabeth sighed and strode up to her father. "I claim the right to sentence!" she shouted her voice echoing around the hall. The bandit who had attacked her looked up, and upon seeing her, his face paled, as if she had removed his last hope.

The silence that followed was eventually broken by Frederick himself. "You! Why?"

"Because I drew blood first, I was attacked. Their lives by ancient law are mine."

Frederick briefly considered that before nodding. "Fine then, how exactly do you want them killed."

She smiled. "I don't want them killed, I want them briefly imprisoned and then given jobs in the castle." She smiled again, ignoring the roar of protest that broke out in the hall.

"What!" Frederick bellowed. Annabeth's eyes widened, it had been years since she had heard her father get his passionate about anything. "They attacked a member of the royal family, attempted to rob you and would have killed you if they hadn't gotten scared about who you were. The world would be a better place without them, just stick them in the dungeon and we can hang them up at some time when we aren't celebrating.

Annabeth rolled her eyes at the cheer that followed the King's words and waited for it to abate before she continued.

"My Lord King Frederick," Annabeth to her great joy saw her father wince as she switched to the official language of court. "I ask of you this one favour as both your daughter and your heir. By ancient law the decision of sentence falls solely with me. If we do not kill them today word of this dead may spread, and those who are against us may hear word of it and may actually join with us against the issues we discussed earlier." Annabeth stepped closer to her father, lowering her voice. "Father, this is an opportunity to appeal to the poor classes that may chose to turn criminal, it proves we care about them. It may make the difference."

Frederick stared at her for a long moment, and she began to deflated. She knew how this worked, he would discard her opinion yet agai-

"Fine. We will try things your way Annabeth. I hope these criminals appreciate how lucky they are that it was you they encountered in the forest." He nodded towards the guards who escorted the two out of the hall. Annabeth caught the grateful look that the bandit that had attacked her shot her just before the doors shut.

Uneasy conversation broke out around the hall as the minstrels started up once again. Annabeth turned and began to walk back towards the high table, ignoring the looks that the aristocracy were sending her. However she had barely made it halfway across the room when someone grabbed hold of her elbow. She whirled around, ready to put whatever Baron who had decided to publicly disagree with her firmly in their place. Her words stalled in her throat however when she met Luke's blue eyes. Softening she smiled up at him, "Luke, I'm glad your back."

He smiled weakly back at her, "I believe Your Highness that you owe me a dance."

Annabeth rolled her eyes but followed him towards the dancefloor. He took her hand and twirled her onto the dance floor. They danced in silence for a few moments, letting the music lead them before Luke squeezed her hand. She gave him a questioning look as he opened his mouth before quickly closing it, clearly reconsidering what he was going to say. He stuttered before starting again. "Annabeth… that was very bold of you."

"It was bold," she agreed "but it was a decision I felt I needed to make. You know more than anyone about the growing discontent from ellements down in the lower city. This should send a message to them at least."

"But surely you could have run it through with your father first, rather than announce it in front of everyone in the hall."

Annabeth sighed, exasperated. "Luke you know my father, if I had asked him privately he would have just brushed it off. The only way I had any chance of him agreeing with me is if I raised it publicly. At least then he was be forced to actually make a decision."

Luke nodded and twirled her to the music. "It was good to see you act like a monarch Annabeth, it was like looking into the future." He smiled down at her and not for the first time she thought that this wouldn't be the worst option for her future. She was unlikely to ever meet someone who she was able to fall in love with, being with the person who was the closest thing to a best friend she had would surely be the next best option.

"I hope it proves the right decision, Annabeth. I hope you're proved right."

Annabeth winced. She desperately hope she was proved right too.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: Hi guys. I only realised after seeing some of the reviews that I had not included my authors notes on my posting over here. This is an AU based off Stuart Hills Icemark Chronicles, however storyline wise it really starts to deviate after this point so comparisons are unlikely to be seen from this point onwards.**_

"Are you sure there's no other way you could get me out of here?"

Piper frowned. "We've tried everything with me Annabeth, I'm sure Lupa is keeping an eye on me to make sure I don't smuggle you out, and you've tried every back route out of the citadel before. They're all watched now."

Annabeth sighed, slumping back into her bed. It had been three weeks since her ill fated hunting trip and her resultant confinement to the castle and time was really beginning to drag. With her father refusing to involve her in actual matters of state there was very little for her to do.

She had tried to continue her weapons training done in the courtyard but with the new patrols that the castle guard were being forced to do none of them had any time to train with her. Even her education had stopped on her fifteenth birthday, her tutor returning to his home in the Southern Continent, and taking most of his material with him. In fact, Annabeth had been left with only five books, all handwritten and imported from the Latinate Empire to fulfill her thirst for knowledge.

It was an understatement to say that they all had been very well read. She had actually read the majority of them yet again since her confinement.

To put it simply, Annabeth was just bored. The typically feminine activities that the southern princesses enjoyed never piqued her interest, much to the shock of her father. Annabeth had never understood why he had ever expected to take too weaving and needlepoint, she was descended from the legendary warrior Queens of Anglia for Gods sake. How could it possibly be a shock that she was interested in living up to that legacy?

"Jason did say something interesting earlier though…"

Piper's voice jerked Annabeth back to the room. She looked across at her handmaiden who was leaning back against her dresser.

"Well you think that anything Jason says is interesting Piper, whether that is actually interesting to anyone else is up for debate." Annabeth smirked as Piper's cheeks bloomed pink, she honestly thought that her maids crush on the youngest castle guard was adorable, especially as it was obvious that it was reciprocated. The only problem was that the two of them seemed to be unable to spot the obvious themselves.

"Do you want my help or not?" Piper huffed.

Annabeth sighed, she did want help getting out of the castle even if it did cost her the opportunity to continue her teasing.

"Nope you're right, what is your ingenious idea?"

"Jason and some of the other new guards are helping out exercising the horses from the Royal stables this afternoon."

She sighed, frowning. "That won't work, Luke would never disobey father's orders to let me go out, friend or not, he's annoyingly loyal to the King."

Pipers smirk remained infuriatingly on her face. Annabeth grew more frustrated as she continued to look at her.

"What he is! There's nothing I can do to distract him, he might like me but he takes his job as seriously as anything. He would never go against the King."

"He would struggle to stop you when he's not here Annabeth. He's leading the latest patrol down towards the coast, they left two hours ago."

Annabeth felt a grin slowly spread across her face to match Pipers. She was right, if Luke or one of the other guards weren't there it was likely the other staff wouldn't dare refuse her. None of them would see themselves having the authority to say she couldn't go..

"Are you trying to get them all into trouble Piper?"

"Nope, I'm trying to get you out of the castle because you're going to drive Lupa insane if you keep hanging around the kitchens."

Annabeth winced slightly, no one was immune to the chief cooks tongue lashings, not even her. In fact it has long been gossiped about the time when Frederick himself had got in the way of her attempts to run her kitchen.

No, it was never wise to cross Lupa.

"Annabeth your father probably won't even find out you've left, and anyway even if he did is more likely to punish you than them. He might be harsh but he's usually fair, especially if called to judge on his own."

Annabeth nodded and smiled again. It was as close to a perfect time to get out of the place as she was going to get.

"I better get my riding gear then."

She smiled, what was the worst that could happen, the King would never have to find out.

 **. . .**

Getting executed for treason was not on Percy's bucket list, but it seemed like he was heading towards that goal anyway.

Exercising the horses was normally one of his favourite jobs, it was the only time he could ever get out of the city and actually relax. The fact that Jason was usually one of the members of the guard assigned to help out meant that it was the only time he really had to spend time with his friend.

Normally however he wasn't worried about the fact that he was committing treason.

He didn't plan to commit treason, he had no option. No. He genuinely had no option. It was either commit treason by refusing a direct order from the princess or commit treason by not following an indirect order from the King.

As the Princess was far closer to him at the time he decided that indirect treason was the better option.

He was seriously reconsidering that as the princess, _Annabeth_ he chastened himself, _she told him to call her Annabeth,_ continued to push a hard pace further into the woods.

"Is it just me, or are we heading past the point of just exercise now?"

Percy rolled his eyes and turned to look back at Jason.

"The horses barely needed exercise anyway, they'll need a rest after this."

"Well Percy I'm sure you won't need that sword you've been determined to bring with you anyway?"

Percy sighed, "I don't care what you think Jason, if anything does happen I don't want to just hid behind you lot, I'm the one you've always practiced with. I'm just as good with a sword as you."

"But you won't need to hide behind us, nothing is going to happen."

Frowning Percy glanced back at him "You're just tempting fate now."

"I'm just saying you're a worrier, you even take that thing with you when you walk around the palace grounds. You don't always need it."

Percy rolled his eyes and kept silent.

The Princess stood in her stirrups ahead of them and raised the pace to a canter, beginning to weave in between the tree's as she rode off the road. Percy groaned. That's all he needed, never mind an illegal ride out with the princess, but now an illegal off road ride with the princess. This was never going to end well.

Jason frowned at her. "She's getting too far ahead now, I couldn't tell her not to come but it will be me that's blamed if anything happens to her."

"Well you can be the one to tell her that Jason." Percy glanced towards him and saw the same concern in his friend's eyes.

"I'd rather get a tongue lashing off the heir then get completely destroyed by the King." Jason sped up, weaving between the other horses and royal staff in an attempt to catch her up. Percy sighed. He couldn't leave his friend to face a potentially angry Annabeth alone so he quickly followed.

"Your Highness!" Jason's voice rang out ahead of them and the Princess ground to a halt. "Your Highness you really need to stay closer to your gua-"

"SHH!" She hissed back at them. By now the rest of the party had caught up and was stopping behind, an uneasy silence slowly spreading across the forest.

"Can you hear that?" she muttered, moving barely a muscle. Percy strained his ears but all he could hear was the worried muttering of the other grooms, but then he heard a slight rustle coming from the tree's next to them, followed by a very quiet growl. Annabeth's eyes widened and all three of them reached for their weapons before a grey blur of fur burst out of the undergrowth.

Werewolves. Of all animals the only ones that Percy hated were werewolves, they had far greater intelligence than their more common cousins but that intelligence manifested itself in an evil and vindictive nature that saw them desire to kill as many humans as possible. The species had become such a threat to the people of Anglia that the country had gone to war with them twenty years earlier. The wolves had been vastly reduced in number as a result, and their threat greatly reduced. Packs did still occasionally cause chaos around the country, and it was clear that several were looking for revenge.

Percy felt himself be shoved backwards by the force of the creatures leap and he backed away towards the horses. Percy trusted that Jason's training was enough to keep both him and the princess safe but it was his responsibility to the royal mounts. It would be blamed on him if any of them became the werewolves next meal. He jumped off his horse, quickly lashing it to the others before turning and looking at the chaos.

Percy hefted his sword and swung as the creatures started to venture towards him. They struck back with razor like claws as he continued to back, attempting to lure their attention away from the easy source of food that the horses of the royal stables offered. The wolf roared forward attempting to swipe at his head, but Percy ducked under its arm and drove his sword into it's stomach. The beast let out a roar before falling forward, dead, trapping Percy under its heavy weight.

He shifted, eventually managing to turn the body over and away from him and stood, he barely had a second to take in his surroundings before another wolf, this one a darker brown colour descended upon him. Percy allowed the training he had received both from Jason and Chiron to take over. Sweat poured down his face as he fought wolf after wolf, determined not to waver from his job. Just as his muscles began to tire the wolves stopped appearing. He sighed lowering his sword and wiping his brow before he looked across the clearing. The horses miraculously looked unharmed, albeit spooked. Blood covered his arm but he was amazed that none of it was his own, exhaustion seemed to be the only thing he was suffering from as a result of his first experience of armed combat.

He shifted his attention to the only remaining sounds of fighting. Both Annabeth and Jason were locked in combat with the final werewolf standing, the chief judging by both his size and the collar he wore around his neck. They were slowly driving him closer to Percy, trapping him in a corner. He saw Jason complete a move right of the training ground, the flat of his sword smacked the wolf in the face and it slumped to the floor still.

They both turned away as Annabeth smiled and clapped Jason on the back. Neither of them saw the creature rise back up. Neither saw its claws reach towards the Princess.

Percy did though. He charged forwards, not even giving himself time to raise his sword. He lowered his shoulder and barged into her, pushing her aside and away from the creature. He hit the floor, and breathed a sigh of relief. He had got her out of the way. It was only then when he felt the pain in his shoulder. He glanced at it and blanched. Blood, definitely his this time was spreading out of a very ugly wound on his shoulder.

His eyesight began to dim, and the last thing that he saw was Annabeth's concerned grey eyes looking down at him.


	5. Chapter 5

Annabeth sighed and finally relaxed. That was a close one, far too close really. If she had got injured fighting those _things…_ she shivered. Her father's reaction would not have been fun to witness. All she needed to do now was to convince the others that _nothing_ had happened. She reached forward and clapped Jason on his back.

"Good fighting, show yourself like that in front of your captain and you'll have a promotion in no time."

Jason smiled at her but before he had a chance to reply she was shoved forward. For the second time in just over a week she hit the ground with an undignified grunt. She lay on the ground briefly, trying to regain her bearings, all the werewolves were gone so what could have knocked her over. The only other person with them was… Percy.

She rolled over just in time to see Jason pulling his sword back out of the werewolf they had both thought was dead. Quickly realising what had happened she jumped to her feet and glanced round looking for Percy. He lay on his back only a few feet from her, blood oozing out of a very ugly looking wound on his shoulder. As she knelt down over him she saw his eyes drift close and began to panic. If anything happened to him it would be her fault. It was she who brought them so far into the forest, and it was her own arrogance that meant she didn't check that the beast wasn't actually dead.

She was pushed aside as Jason crouched down next to him.

"Come on Percy," he muttered, ripping some fabric from his shirt. "You need to pull through this."

He wrapped the piece of cloth tightly around Percy's shoulder, slowing the flow of blood before he looked up at her.

"I need some help getting him up onto one of the horses!"

Annabeth staggered forward, grabbing hold of Percy's legs and putting him up onto Jason's horse. Jason turned around and ran back towards the stables horses.

"You!" he yelled at one of the junior yard boys "I need you to return all of these horses back to the castle, take it slow, you don't want them spooked again."

Without waiting for a response he turned and jogged back towards her. "Come on, we need to get him back as quickly as possible."

He jumped up onto his horse behind Percy's prone body and quickly galloped out of the clearing.

Annabeth shook her head, trying to snap herself out of her internalised monologue. She turned and threw her leg over her horse before following Jason from the clearing.

She quickly caught up with him as they manoeuvred through the thick undergrowth back towards the main road. Back up close she could see just how pale Jason's face had become and recalled how much the two boys had been talking earlier in the day. She groaned, she had never thought about how this stupid excursion could affect so many people. Percy had friends and family, if he died because of her…

No, he wasn't going to die. He couldn't die. She knew as a future Queen she would have blood on her hands eventually, but this was far too soon. She couldn't be responsible for a death already, especially for such a frivolous trip. A frivolous trip which wouldn't have happened of she actually listened to her father and stayed inside.

They finally reached the road and began to pick up speed again. The trees on either side of them turned into a green blur as they accelerated into a gallop and the wind whistled in her ears. She could hear a groaning over it though, and she glanced back towards Jason and she could see Percy being jostled where he was perched on Jason's horse. She bit back a groan, they had to get back to the city as quickly as possible, but it only seemed to be causing him more pain.

The light was beginning to fade by the time the tree's finally began to thin. The two of them burst out onto the plain of Whitehampton and galloped rapidly across the field, kicking up a cloud of dust behind them. The lights of the city grew brighter as they drew closer and Annabeth gave a small sigh of relief. They were nearly there. They flew through the gates and up the main avenue, the guards and traders alike gawping at them.

Annabeth's chances of sneaking back into the citadel had disappeared entirely but she didn't care. They barely slowed as they reached the Citadel gates and the gate had only just opened when they burst through, scattering the assorted servants and guards lurking behind them. Jason pulled to a halt outside the main doors and jumped off his horse. He glanced back at her, looking uncertain for the first time since the attack began.

She swung her leg back over the horse and hit the ground with a thump. Wincing as pain flared in her knees she strode forward through the doors. Jason followed her, carrying Percy over his shoulder. She pushed through the door into the physician's office with so much force that it bounced back off the masonry on the wall behind.

The Physician himself, an ageing man originally from the Latinate States, with large round spectacles and a white beard that reached almost to his waist started awake from where he had been dozing behind his desk.

"Ah Annabeth, what can I do for you?"

She gestured wordlessly behind her and his eyes widened as he caught sight of Percy's unconscious body. He gestured rapidly to bring him in.

"What happened!"

Annabeth recounted the attack as Jason laid Percy down on one of the beds. His face darkened as the story progressed.

"You were banned from leaving this city by your father Annabeth, and this is why."

"I know Aurelio but-"

"No but's Princess!" Aurelio interrupted, "Your father has his reasons why you can't leave and you've endangered the lives of your subjects by doing so! What was the vital reason you had to leave?"

Annabeth remained silent, she had no answer.

"Now if you could leave I have work to do to make sure that this doesn't have even more serious consequences." He turned back towards his desk and began pulling out supplies.

"Can't I stay!" She followed him fixing him with an imploring gaze.

"Absolutely not! Any assistance I need can be provided by your guard there." He glanced towards a pale faced Jason who gave him a small nod. "You will just get in the way, I need space and quiet to work Annabeth, you know this."

She sighed and opened her mouth ready to argue but Aurelio beat her too it. "No arguments! Out now!"

He gestured towards the door his usual kindly features fixed into a steely gaze which did not leave her face until she walked out the door.

She turned and began a slow walk back to her quarters, knowing that she was now unlikely to hear any news for hours. Her only comfort was that Percy was now in the best hands possible. She would at least have that time to get her thoughts in order before she had to explain herself any further. She rounded the corner and walked straight into a tall figure. Looking up she saw the angry face of her father.

Maybe she didn't have that time then.

 **. . .**

Frederick Chase was pacing angrily across the small citadel garden. The greenery of the plants and the sound of the river behind him were at complete odds with the look of fury on his face.

"I told you Annabeth! No! I ordered you to stay in the castle after what happened to you last week. What possibly made you think it would be ok to sneak out."

Annabeth wilted under his rant, she had not seen her father this angry in years.

"Annabeth you are not unintelligent so how you thought such a stupid action was a good idea I will never know!"

Annabeth opened her mouth to respond, as much as her actions were ill advised she still didn't see them as being particularly stupid. "I don't-"

"What would have happened if someone had discovered you were gone when you were still out there? The guards would have thought you had been abducted. It could have caused a countrywide crisis! Even as it is you have got a non-trained civilian injured for completely frivolous purposes. Do you have any idea how this will be seen down in the city? There's already criticism about how we think our lives are more important than there's and speculation about this will only make it worse."

Annabeth gasped indignantly "I didn't think his life was more important than mine! He pushed me out of the way!"

Frederick snorted, "They don't care about the facts Annabeth, all they care about is twisting things to their agenda. Those who don't like us will already be telling the stories about how you used that stablehand as a human shield despite his lack of military training. That you would quite happily sacrifice his life, and that kind of story sells far better down there than any story that paints us in a good light. People aren't interested in that."

He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "Annabeth I'm getting too old for this."

She stepped forward reaching up to put a hand on his shoulder. He smiled tiredly down at her.

"Thank the gods you're alright" He whispered, almost as if he didn't want her to hear it. "Can you see why I wanted you to stay inside now Annabeth. It's not that I don't think you would be capable in battle, how you've performed in training shows that you would but it's too risky to regularly let you out there Annabeth, both for yourself and for us as a ruling body. There's people down there who would jump at any opportunity to overthrow us, and trust me when I say they don't have the population as a whole in mind."

Annabeth sat open mouthed looking at him. She had never heard him speak so openly about this before.

"Annabeth we do the best we can, we're not perfect but we truly try to make everyone's lives the best they can be but there will always be people who think we're not good enough, and there will always be the power hungry people that prey on them. We can't give them the motivation. We have to be smarter than them."

"I see." Annabeth whispered, she could see just how bad a mistake she had made now, not only had her antics result in a potentially fatal injury to an innocent civilian, she could have weakened the entire political structure of Anglia. "I didn't think."

The King smiled at her. "Annabeth you'll learn, you'll be able to deal with this eventually but until then I've had to make some changes. All guards and servants now know that anyone entering or leaving the Citadel must be checked and asked their purpose. If you try to sneak again you will be stopped."

"I'm sorry father, truly. It won't happen again." Annabeth said softly, not meeting his eyes.

"Come on, it's time to retire now. We'll speak more of this tomorrow." He offered her a reassuring smile before he guided her back into the building.

She walked back to her chamber in a dreamlike state, not taking much notice of anything or anyone she passed. Internally however she was reprimanding herself, _how could she be so stupid. If she had even stopped to think about her actions rather than charging towards the first bit of excitement she saw..._

She shook her head. It would do her no good thinking like that, she would just have to do better next time.

She would do better next time.

Her chamber was empty when she reached it, however it was clear that Piper had already been as a bedpan was warming her bed and her book had been left on her pillow. If anything this all made her feel worse as she readied herself for bed, she had all the comforts her position entitled her while Percy was stuck in the cold physicians room, in severe pain and it was all her fault.

She sighed, she was never going to get to sleep like this. Annabeth stood, grabbed her robe and tied it round her waist. She would go down and talk to Aurelio. She needed to know what was happening with Percy.

She walked through the hall's quietly. Her father had never said she was confined to her rooms but she knew that given recent events she would be reprimanded and sent back if she was caught out here. Annabeth needn't have worried though, the halls were empty at this time of night, even the servants had turned into bed, the citadels lights extinguished.

Annabeth breathed a sigh of relief as she turned back into the corridor where Aurelio's office was and saw the light shining out of the open door. She stepped forward into it but froze when she heard voices.

"Really Percy! You were with an officially trained royal guard. A guard whose job it is to protect the royal family. Why on earth would you choose to jump in front of one of those horrible creatures."

"Mum..." Annabeth almost gasped with relief at the sound of Percy's voice, she clapped a hand over her mouth to keep the sound from escaping and leant forward to continue listening.

"Jason was distracted and it would have got her otherwise. She's gonna be a great Queen Mum, her life is far more important than mine."

Annabeth edged forward so that she had a better view into the room. Percy had been moved into a side room and was perched upright in bed, his back supported by several pillows. His shoulder had been heavily wrapped in bandages, but otherwise his upper body had no cover. She felt her cheeks flush and scolded herself. It wasn't like this was the first time she had seen a boy topless, it was a regular occurrence when she trained with the castle guard so she had no idea why seeing Percy like this had affected her so… It wasn't even like this was a vaguely appropriate time to feel flustered.

She shook her head and looked towards his visitor. She was a middle-aged woman with curly brown hair and a kindly looking face. A kindly looking face that was currently looking particularly annoyed.

"Percy don't say that! You're life is as important as her's is. I haven't spent all these years married to Gabriel just for you to say your life is unimportant." When Percy frowned looking suitably reprimanded she broke out into a smile. "Oh Percy I'm just glad you're okay! When Jason came running into the tavern…"

Percy grasped her hand and Annabeth began to back away when a voice sounded behind her.

"Ahh Princess it's nice of you to join us."

Both Percy and his mother turned towards her as she jumped. Cheeks burning scarlet at being caught eavesdropping she turned round to where Aurelio stood smirking.

"You'll be pleased to know Annabeth that Mr Jackson over there will suffer no lasting damage from today's escapades so despite _everything_ there's been no real harm done."

Annabeth let out a sigh of relief before turning back to Percy. His mother had stood and curtsied to her. "It's an honor to meet you Your Highness"

Annabeth shook her head and waved at her to sit down. "There's no need to stand for me Mrs…"

"Jackson" the woman said "Sally Jackson."

"Well there's no need to stand for me Mrs Jackson, it's my fault you're here in the first place."

Sally opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted by a cough from the bed between them.

"I think you'll find it's my fault we're here, after all it was me who decided to jump in front of a werewolf's claws."

They both turned towards Percy and Annabeth's mouth dropped open. "You didn't - just-" she spluttered, attempting to understand just how he could undervalue what he had done. "You saved my life!"

"Mrs Jackson" the voice of Aurelia sounded from behind her. "I think we should leave the two of them to work this out themselves don't you?"

Sally looked reluctantly at Percy before turning and following him out of the room. Percy smiled weakly up at Annabeth. "It would have been better if I actually had used a weapon- or you know actually try to do something about it rather than just throw myself infront of the thing though."

"You shouldn't have even had to do that though Percy" Annabeth sighed and perched herself on the end of his bed. Upon seeing his confused expression she elaborated.

"It's my job to protect the people Percy, not your responsibility to protect me. I should've seen the werewolf wasn't dead. Because I let my guard down I put you in danger. We shouldn't have been out there at all, and I put both you and Jason at risk by going. It's my responsibility not to do that so I'm sorry."

Percy scowled. "Annabeth you're only human. We knew we weren't meant to be going out with you and went anyway. And your responsibility! It's my life, I chose to jump in front of that werewolf because I wanted to and I think that you will actually be a better Queen than we have had in years. But there is one thing you have to learn is that it's my choice. No matter how much 'responsibility' you put on yourself you still don't get to control my choices."

She stared at him speechless as his face began to pale. "Shit I didn't mean… um.. Your Highness I didn't mean to imply that I knew better… and- um sorry."

He looked so horrified that she couldn't help herself when she started to laugh. "Percy don't be sorry. If anything that's exactly what I needed to hear." She glanced away from him, embarrassed. "Do you really think that I'll be a better Queen?"

Percy sighed, his expression relaxing. "Annabeth you wouldn't be here if you were going to be a bad Queen, you obviously care about your people and that's the most important thing. And anyway if anything was proven today it's that you're not afraid to get your hands dirty."

He smirked and Annabeth shook her head.

"No really, how many of our more recent rulers would have hidden behind others today, you didn't, and that shows you will be a good Queen Annabeth." He smiled at her before dropping his voice so she could only barely hear what he said. "Better than your grandmother anyway."

"Thank you" she said softly, smiling at him "you have no idea how much that means to me, especially after today."

"Well I'm only saying what I see." He smiled up at her, but then quickly looked away his cheeks turning pink. "Well- uh- I better- you- get some sleep."

Annabeth confused glanced down at herself and realised she was still only in her robe and nightgown. Her face burned red in embarrassment.

"Yes um you should get some sleep as well Percy… I'm sure I'll see you again when your back… You are coming back right?"

"Yes." Percy answered looking determinedly at the wall to the right of her. "I'll be back as soon as your physician lets me Your High- … Annabeth."

She gathered her robe tighter around her as she began to edge backwards. "Yes well… I'll see you… until another time." She turned and almost ran from the room.

 **. . .**

Jason opened the door to his room in the barracks and slumped inside. The day had turned into one of the most tiring that he had lived through and all he needed to do now was sleep. The werewolf attack if he was honest was about the least stressful part of his day, that was having to tell Sally what had happened. If he never had to see the look of horror on her face again it would still be one time too many.

He was so tired that he almost missed the envelope that had been left on his pillow. He narrowed his eyes, wondering why whatever it was wasn't delivered like all other post during breakfast in the palace kitchens. He pulled out the letter and began to read.

 _Officer Grace,_

 _It has been decided that our current royal family is incapable of effective rule. As such certain members of the population in the city has gathered together with several of your superiors to plan a change in regime._

 _We hope to gain your support to help make Anglia great again. However if you need further convincing we currently are in possession of someone very important to you, check your room for a clue who this may be._

 _We advise you to join our side officer or the consequences will be severe._

 _Sincerely_

 _The Future Ruling Council._

Jason let the letter fall to the ground and his jumped to his feet. He glanced round the room and quickly spotted what had been left. The broken remnants of a very familiar bow were leaning against the wall. He staggered towards it, trying to get a closer look.

The bow was clearly slender and well made, but had been snapped in two in a way that he knew the owner would never have allowed to happen willingly.

"Thalia" he whispered as he picked it up, spotting the dried blood that coated parts of the wood.

"Now Jason," He froze at the voice coming from behind him. "We knew you would be the hardest to convince so I hope we have now given you enough incentive to our cause."

He turned round slowly to look at the person standing in his doorway. "You… but… why?"

"Jason. It's quite simple really. I want power that I will never get otherwise, and this is the way for me to get it."

"But why have you taken her? She always trusted you."

"We need all the guards under our control Jason and your sister is the only way that we can control you. So your choice is simple, either you join us or both you and Thalia die, and we will not make it painless."

Jason scowled at him. "She would rather die than allow me to go along with this."

The man looked up at him before smirking. "You're probably right. That's why I have several men posted outside a certain handmaidens rooms at this moment. I give the word and they move in and take her. She's such a pretty thing, I'd hate to see anything ruin that. But if you're sure…" He turned to leave but Jason lurched forward.

"No! Don't touch her! I'll… I'll go along with it if you keep her safe."

The man smiled. A gleeful almost unhinged smile. "So glad you came round Jason. And just remember in case you try to change your mind. We'll be watching."

He turned and left, slamming the door behind him.

Jason sat down onto his bed holding his head in his hands. Piper would be safe, at least he now knew that. Percy. Percy would be off work injured for the foreseeable future so hopefully he would be able to steer clear of anything that happened. That just left… the Princess.

He knew what would happen to her if this happened. At best she would be forced into some marriage in an attempt to legitimise this coup, at worst she would be subjected to torture and execution. He had to get word to her somehow but if he was going to be kept under close watch like he was told… If he told Piper they'd find out, and everyone else who he cared about would suffer the consequences.

He had to get news to her somehow, but he couldn't risk everyone he cared about lives to do so.

 **A/N**

 **We're off into the proper plot now so the chapter lengths will probably get longer from this point on.**

 **Hope you enjoyed, until next time,**

 **UKPJOFan**


	6. Chapter 6

Percy was going a little stir-crazy. It wasn't his fault, anyone who was on physician's orders to stay away from any strenuous activities for three weeks would be going stir-crazy. He normally wouldn't have payed much attention to that advice but Aurelio had that sort of intelligent madman vibe about him and to be honest that frightened him. Somehow he knew that Aurelio would know if he did not follow his instructions which meant that any plans he had of returning quickly to work were completely off the table.

He couldn't even if he wanted too, both his mother and Annabeth had seen to that. He was banned from attempting to go anywhere near the stables until his prescribed time off was complete, by specific order of the princess.

Gabe, to the shock of a grand total of no one, had been furious when he found out and had all but demanded that Percy find himself another job until he discovered that Percy was keeping his full pay during his time off. After that he wasn't bothered what he did, as long as "you don't bother me or get in the way of any of my friends."

Basically meant that he had ended up stuck in his basement room for the majority of the past two weeks. His mum had thankfully acknowledged that any more time 'resting' in that hovel would probably be unhelpful to his recovery.

The fact that helping out in the tavern was likely to be just as unhelpful for his recovery was not lost on ether them but Sally knew him well enough, if she didn't let him do something he probably would do something infinitely more dangerous as a result.

It had been months since Percy had actually done a shift alongside his mother at the tavern but he fell back into the routine well enough. Being around Gabe for the last few years had got him used to being around and dealing with drunk people which meant that he was well suited to the job, even if he didn't particularly enjoy it. Of course Percy was too young to be a legal employ at a tavern and as a result was paid far less than what he was up at the palace but he could make do. The circumstances of his birth made officials overlook him and this was one of the rare occasions that he was actually happy about that.

It was getting late, and the decent element of the taverns crowd were rapidly leaving, with only the true drunkards and shady types left. Most of the time the drunks were fairly harmless. They generally only wanted someone to listen too, on the odd occasion that they got aggressive they often policed themselves. No it wasn't the late night drunks that put Percy on edge on, it was those who weren't. The tavern wasn't the nicest place to be around during the day, but after nightfall it became one of the shadiest places in the city. If you were sober and not an employee odds on you were up to no good.

Percy was therefore completely and utterly not surprised that Gabe and several of his friends were currently occupying one of the back rooms, and while he wouldn't say that they were sober, there state of intoxication was far lower than usual. This immediately spiked Percy's suspicion, no one liked a drink more than Gabe; he had been on the end of enough angry words and drunken rants to know that. For Gabe to be showing at least some self restraint meant that he was up to something.

This meant he was more distracted than normal, and after he had spilt someone's drink for the

third time in under thirty minutes Sally pulled him off to the side.

"Percy go and take the dirties out to the back and start washing them, your heads clearly not here."

"But Mum, I can't leave you here on your own! There's far too much work to do out here."

Sally grimaced "Percy, as much as you have good intentions you're currently making me more work out here, not lightening the load. I know you want to help but you will be far more use out the back making sure that I actually have a chance of getting home before dawn."

Percy opened his mouth to argue and then thought better of it. "Fine, I suppose you're right." He leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek before picking up the barrel filled with dirty crockery. "I'll see you later then, Gabe's in so I'm sure there will be loads of mess left over from that."

Sally scowled again before waving him off. He walked down the corridor that ran behind the bar's main room, determinedly ignoring the sounds coming out of the private parlour that his stepfather inhabited, and stepped out into the small yard that was squeezed between the tavern and the row of houses immediately behind it. Percy turned to the tap, grateful that the neighbourhood water supply was here and not a ten minute walk away like at home.

He had progressed through a significant amount of the barrel before he realised that he hadn't actually brought anything with him to carry them back inside with, unless he wanted to dump the freshly clean plates back in a bucket full of beer dregs and food left overs. He sighed pushing himself back to his feet and began walking back towards the main bar.

"With both the Princess and her Father captured it will be easy to assert our authority over the country."

Percy ground to a halt at the sound of his stepfather's voice. The door to the room was only slightly ajar but the gap was large enough that he could here exactly what was being said.

"What about Atalanta?" A voice that Percy did not recognise spoke. "They're the one's most likely not to recognise you."

He heard a snort, Gabe again this time. "The Duke does not have the backbone to act without any authority. If we have both the members of that family under our custody he won't dare to act."

"And what about the guards" the unfamiliar voice was back, "they're the ones this relies on, are you sure they'll be there to apprehend them.

"Don't worry about the guards" said a third voice. Percy vaguely recognised this one although he couldn't work out where from. "We managed to get the last one under our control last month. He wasn't as willing as the others but some personal threats made him a bit more sympathetic to our cause. We won't have any trouble with them."

"Well gentlemen!" Gabe sounded positively gleeful, a complete opposite to Percy who felt as though his insides were slowly freezing "Tonight is the night. In just a few short hours the Chase's will have fallen and Anglia will be under our control. To the future!"

As the sound of scraping chairs reached him Percy jumped backwards horror dawning on him. He sprinted from the bar and had cleared the corridor before the first man had emerged from the room. He was going so fast he nearly bumped into his mum in her place behind the bar.

"Percy what on earth are you-"

"Mum you've got to get out!"

"Get out of where? Why? What's going on?"

"I don't have time to explain" Percy was backing away from the door. "Just try and get out of the city tonight! Promise me!"

"O-Okay I'll try. Percy where are you-"

Percy shouted a final "Love you" over his shoulder as he burst out onto the quiet street, only one thought filling his head.

Annabeth.

 **. . .**

If he didn't know Percy would have guessed nothing was amiss. The streets were quiet, overly quiet if anything. They were never this quiet though and that confirmed to Percy that whatever Gabe was bragging about was true. There was going to be an uprising tonight. Percy sprinted through deserted streets, heading towards the glowing lights of the citadel that rose above the houses. He reached the gates to find them open, another bad sign and with no guards in sight.

He slowed down as he passed beneath them. Growing cautious for the first time since he had heard Gabe's words. He was pretty sure nothing had happened yet but he wasn't sure, and he certainly didn't want to walk into an ambush, especially with the princess in danger. He edged around the courtyard, knowing that the least watched entrance to the castle itself was around the back closer to the stables. He slipt into the alleyway that led towards them and breathed a sigh of relief. It was unlikely anyone would see him here.

A hand landed on his shoulder.

Percy whirled around, hand clenched into a fist, however he stopped when he recognised Jason's blue eyes.

"Jason thank the Gods, there's some sort of uprising thing tonight, I heard my step dad bragging about it down in the tavern. You have to raise the alarm or something the King and Princess are in danger." Percy looked at him imploring before Jason broke eye contact and looked at the ground.

"I know."

Percy stepped back aghast "What do you mean you kn-"

Jason leapt forward, grasping Percy's forearm and dragging him closer. He leant in so his lips were next to Percy's ear. "You have to get her out Percy, the rest of the guards are under the illusion that she will just be kept for negotiating purposes for the King but that's not going to happen. She'll be married off to one of Kronos's lords down in Galliad. She won't last the year with them. If they don't do that they'll just torture her to break her father before they execute both of them. I'm not sure what would be the worst case scenario for her. You have to get her out."

"But-"

"There's a way out down by the kitchens, the passage way leads directly to a gate on the city walls. What with everything going on no one will be watching it. It's your best chance."

"Can't you come with us. Come on Jason we've got a far better chance of getting away if you're with us!" Percy pleaded.

"I can't not without Piper…" Percy had never seen Jason's eyes look so dead. "They have guards, the guards supposed to be outside the Princess door outside hers. If I leave with you they'll…" Jason cut off in a choked sob and Percy understood.

"Go" he whispered to him "before anyone notices you're missing." Jason nodded at him once before turning away. "And Jason! Good luck."

Percy could just about here a "you too" before his friend vanished out of sight. Percy barely had a chance to wonder if he would ever see him again before he was back on the move. If they had even managed to force Jason into co-operation it was likely that every guard in the palace was in on the plan. He had to get Annabeth out now. He slippped into the castle using the servants entrance. He briefly hovered outside Aurellio's office before continuing. As much as he wanted to warn the old man he didn't know how long he had. The Princess had to be his number one priority.

He did slow down however as he neared the Princess's chambers. Jason had already told him that the guards that were normally stationed here had been moved to Piper's room, but he didn't know if any other measures had been put in place that Jason didn't know about. Or just hadn't told him about…

Percy shook his head. Jason had told him how to get the princess out, they had been friends for years, if he couldn't trust him he couldn't trust anyone.

He edged round the corner into the corridor on which her chambers sat. Jason was right. The corridor was deserted, the two guard stations on either side of Annabeth's door stood empty and nearly all of the weapons stored there were gone. With one more furtive look around he stepped forward and slipped through the door.

The first thing he noticed as he stepped into the Princess's rooms was the size. The place was huge, probably bigger than his entire house. The room was lined with bookshelves, not the ordinary sized bookshelves that were in the city library, but bookshelves as tall as the room itself. There were ladders attached to them so that you could reach the highest shelves and Percy wondered how it was possible to own so many books, how anyone could ever read them all.

He stepped forward and winced as the floorboard creaked under his foot. He froze, listening desperately for any noise outside. After about a minute of total silence he relaxed slightly and started to move again.

Something collided with his back and he slammed forward into the bookcase. He stayed stock still, feeling the cold metal pressed against the back of his neck.

"What do you think you are doing in here!"

Percy marginally relaxed when he heard the Princesses voice, but tensed again when he realised that she was still holding a dagger to the back of his neck.

"Annab- Your High- I was-"

"Percy…" She stepped back, sounding confused. He breathed a sigh of relief as the dagger moved away and slowly turned around.

Annabeth was stood behind him, hair loose around her shoulders, she looked smaller when not dressed in her ceremonial armour, the loose fitting shirt and trousers making her look younger somehow. She was looking at him confused, her body still looking slightly defensive. The dagger in her hand while no longer pressed against him looked just as threatening in her hand.

"Why… why have you snuck into my room?"

Percy shook his head, forcing himself to focus. "We need to leave!"

"We need to what. Percy it's in the middle of the night why would we leave."

"Trust me Annabeth" he pleaded "we have to leave, I'll explain everything later but we need to leave now."

She looked at him conflicted. "Percy there's nowhere in the country that's safer than here .. If there was something wrong. The guards…"

"If the guards were doing there jobs how would I have got in. Trust me Annabeth I wouldn't be here if I thought you'd be safe here tonight."

She looked conflicted briefly but then her face morphed into one of determination. "You will explain this to me when we get away and if this is one kind of trick…"

She sheathed her dagger,and Percy winced at the sound it made. He got the message. She turned around, grabbing a thicker shirt and strode towards the door. Percy followed her gaping.

"Wait! Don't you need some armour or something."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, not slowing in her strides. "Of course I don't, if this is as serious as you think it is then I'm going to have to blend in." She turned and raised her eyebrows at him. "I am not going to blend in if I'm wearing Chase crested armour."

She turned and glanced out of the door, frowning at the empty guard station.

"I should go tell my father, he needs to kn-"

"We don't have time!" Percy hissed, keeping his voice down in case anyone was nearby. He reached into the station and grabbed one of the swords that had been abandoned there.

"But if something happens he would want to know where I am."

"If something happens he'd want you to be safe. If nothing happens and I hope to the gods that it doesn't then I'll sneak you back in but I'm not willing to take that risk."

Annabeth sighed but then nodded.

"What's your plan then?"

"Jason thinks that the Kitchen wall gate is unguarded so-"

Annabeth grabbed his arm bringing them to a halt again.

"Wait Jason knows about this why isn't he here!"

"What about I don't have time to explain everything now don't you understand! I will explain everything when-we-get-out." Percy snapped and started walking again

Annabeth sighed and followed him.

"Fine how are we going to get across the plain without anyone on the walls seeing us. It would takes a good thirty minutes to get across it on foot, you've got no chance of getting across it with no one noticing."

Percy froze. He was beginning to see several flaws in his plan. He'd charged up here trying to protect her from whatever Gabe had planned without thinking what he was going to do when he actually reached her.

"You head for the gate now, I'm going to head for the stables. I should be able to get a horse out and around to the gate. We'll get to cover quicker that way."

Annabeth raised her eyebrows but didn't say anything. She turned and strode down the corridor away from him.

Percy turned and started running down the hallway in the other direction. All the corridors, all of them were empty of people. He didn't know the citadel that well but he was sure that even at night it was not this how many people were in on this.

He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he almost didn't hear the voices coming from the courtyard ahead of him. He pressed himself against the wall at the last moment and tried to quiet his breathing.

"So how long do we have to wait until it starts."

"It's already started down in the docks. There taking out of the guards non loyal to our cause on the walls. It's just subtle until we get word that it's time to take the King and the Princess."

"So it should be soon then."

"It's going to happen before the morning so we're going to have to do it. I don't know why you keep talking about it."

"I don't know, it's all of this waiting I think it's making me nervous."

Their voices faded away and Percy breathed a sigh of relief before slipping out across the courtyard and towards the stables.

Percy slipped past the quiet stalls towards the back of the building coming to a stop in front of the one which contained the only pure black horse that the Chase's owned. He saddled him up as quickly as he could before leading it out.

He led it around the back of the building and through the small alleys that linked the courtyard to the kitchen gardens at the rear of the citadel. He grimaced knowing how much longer it took to go this way but knowing that despite how lucky he'd been tonight, there was absolutely no way he'd get away with taking a horse through the echoing citadel itself.

When he finally reached the small gate that sat in the wall that marked both the Citadel and the city's boundary there was a hooded figure stood next to it. He advanced cautiously, attempting to work out who it was but they quickly looked up at him, hood falling back as they raised a dagger in their hand.

"Percy!" Annabeth hissed. "You said we hardly had any time. What took you so long."

"I'm sorry, it took me longer than expected to reach the stables. I nearly ran into some guards in the courtyard so I had to hide."

"You ran into guard! Why didn't you tell them what was going on!"

"Because they already know Annabeth!" Percy exploded. "They were talking about how long it would be before it happened, they're all in on it which is why I have to get you out."

Annabeth glared at him. "If you're lying Percy you know how much training I have. I can make things very painful for you very quickly."

"Well it's a good job I'm not lying then." Percy grabbed the saddle and hoisted himself onto the horse's back. He turned to offer her a hand but she was already seated behind him. He managed to restrain his impressed sigh and kicked forward.

He winced at the echo of the horses hooves on the cobbles that made up the tunnel's floor, but no one heard. As they emerged out onto the plain of Whitehampton he looked up at the castle walls. They were shrouded in darkness. The city lay silent behind them, silent not in the usual early morning way. It was an unnatural silence.

He kicked forward and they galloped across the plain. The grass fields on either side of them turned into blurs on either side of them as Annabeth's arms slipped around his waist so that she could hold on. Hos breathing began to ease as the dark line of the tree's ahead of him got closer. Once they were there he could explain everything, and maybe she would stop looking at him with such suspicion. The fact that she had trusted him in the first place comforted him though, they hadn't known each other that long, maybe when all this was over they could actually be genuine friends.

Percy had calmed down as they reached the treeline and he slowed to a walk. He turned towards Annabeth to explain that he was going to find somewhere they could set up camp, somewhere where he could explain everything, which meant he had a perfect view of the explosion that rocked the city walls.

She whirled around too. The sound of fighting was now clearly audible across the fields of grass.

"I have to go back!"

"Annabeth no! That's why I got you out! So you wouldn't get caught up in this."

"Percy i thought you'd heard rumours of an assassination attempt not a full blown rebellion. The guards need to see that I'm there. I'll be motivation."

"They're not on your side Annabeth! They're the ones fighting against you."

"I don't care!" She screamed sounding increasingly more hysterical. I'm not leaving my father and my people alone to deal with it! Now give me the reigns."

"No! I'm not letting you go back there. It would be suicide."

She reached forward to try and tug them off him "Give me those reigns!"

She kept fighting with him trying to get control of the horse but as she gave them one final yank to get them out of his grip it reared up. He lost his grip and slipped sideways, hitting the ground with a resounding thump. He saw the horses silhouette charging away before everything went black.


End file.
